Apr

26

Chicken & Mushrooms with Onion Sauce Over Orzo

Filed Under Blog, Main Dishes | 3 Comments

This recipe is classic comfort food – warm and soothing with simple flavors.

It’s based off of a recipe posted on one of my new favorite websites: Broke and Healthy. Totally check that website out. Dozens of delicious and affordable dishes to whip up.

This may not be the most appealing photo, but it smelled really good and I was too impatient to taste it to make it look any prettier for pictures. Trust me, it’s tastier than it appears :)







Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
1/2 box orzo, cooked
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
8oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 TBS flour
1 1/2-2 C chicken broth
salt & pepper to taste



First thing – Get your orzo cooking.



Now, in a large skillet or sauce pan, heat the oil on medium to medium-high heat and add in the onion. Cook until lightly browned and starting to caramelize (remember to keep stirring it to keep from burning).



Add in the pieces of chicken and toss around until lightly browned on all sides. Next add in the minced garlic and sliced mushrooms (the best part! I love baby bellas). Cook until the mushrooms are softened, about 3-5 minutes.



Throw in the flour and stir to coat all the ingredients. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stir, and allow to simmer until thickened (add a little salt and pepper to taste).



The orzo should be cooked and drained by now. Spoon a large serving onto a plate and top with the chicken/mushroom mixture and make sure to get plenty of that sauce!







(Next time I might play around and use white rice cooked in chicken broth instead of orzo and possibly throw in a little white wine and thyme into the sauce.)


Jan

21

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Filed Under Breakfast, Desserts | 6 Comments

Basic ingredients, quick preparation, simple flavors, and especially good with a hot cup of tea.


Canon 350D, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8 lens, 1/60th sec at ƒ/2.8, ISO 400




Ingredients:
(makes 12 muffins)

2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil
2 large apples (or 3 small) peeled, cored and finely diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F and grease two muffins tins.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together in a small bowl. In a separate larger bowl, mix together the egg, milk, and oil.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined. Add another 1/3 of the dry and stir; repeat. Use a spatula to fold in the apple pieces.

Fill muffins cups 2/3 full and sprinkle a little white sugar on the top of each. Bake for about 20 minutes.






Canon 350D, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8 lens, 1/40th sec at ƒ/2.8, ISO 400



I’m actually really surprised with how decently these photos turned out. I actually spent the afternoon quite frustrated and thinking that I had wasted my time taking mediocre shots and would have to post some fairly unlovely pictures today.

From the time I started shooting the apples, to baking the muffins, then finally the after-baking shots, I was continually grumpy and frustrated with the process.

I was frustrated that:
the day was overcast and there was poor light.
I don’t have proper lighting.
the studio is over crowded.
I was interrupted several times.
I don’t have faster lenses.
it took me a few weeks to realize my diatropic adjustment was off.
I didn’t fix the above until after all the photos were taken.

Overall, a foul mood and a LOT of dissatisfaction.

Then I realized; it’s not a big deal. There are much larger and more important things happening in the world, I have a lot to work with and a lot to be thankful for, and it’s just not THAT bad!

And so I told myself; Don’t get dissatisfied with limitations – get creative.

So I took my time, moved things around, used the dim window light I had, fiddled with camera settings, and everything turned out OK after all.

Just another reminder to myself that attitude really is everything.




Canon 350D, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8 lens, 1/125th sec at ƒ/2.2, ISO 100





Canon 350D, Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III lens, 180mm, 1/60th sec at ƒ/5.0, ISO 200





Canon 350D, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8 lens, 1/160th sec at ƒ/1.8, ISO 100

Jan

17

Pommes Frites

Filed Under Blog | 6 Comments

Fried potatoes. That is what my dreams are made of.

My friend Keith took me to New York for just 3 days in 2006, but that was plenty of time to fall in love with my very own french fry heaven – Pomme Frites.

Pommes Frites, NY

(click to view larger image)



It’s a tiny little shop at 123 2nd Ave and the inside is a bit like a narrow alleyway; kitchen on the left, small bar on the right, and a few tables shoved in the back.

The frites come in three different size paper cones – huge, monstrous, and gargantuan (actually regular, large, and double). The regular ($4) is plenty enough to stuff yourself, the large ($6.25) can easily feed two, and you’d need a herd of friends to help you with the double ($7.50).

I’ve spent hours upon hours craving these fried little beauties, and what makes them so unbelievabley good (aside from being fried twice) is the amazing array of dipping sauces to choose from. There are flavors for every palate; roasted garlic, Vietnamese pineapple, dill lemon, peanut satay, parmesan peppercorn…the list goes on and on. My personal favorite, from the few I sampled, was definitely the Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo.
Holy. Tasty. Goodness. Batman.

And that is what I dream about – seriously. Out of all the places I visited, and all of the eating I jam packed into those three days in New York, I daydream weekly about those french fries.

Pomme Frites: Out of this world greasy perfection.





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